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Dutch make hardware password manager

Mar

1

2016

Two Dutch offer crowdfunding platform Indiegogo a password manager called to Vaulteq. This does not consist of a program, but from a physical device. thus the data stored locally must be safer than in an online database.

The Vaulteq-safe is based on the hardware of a Raspberry Pi 2B and comes in advance $ 99 cost , converted about 90 euros. Co-founder Frederik Derksen late Tweakers know that the idea arose from the fact that password managers now often store passwords in an online database, which is a security risk entails. Together with co-founder Tim Gerrits he was just a solution that enables house, “like a box that you have at home,” Derksen says. “When we started the development, there were no available comparable solutions. Therefore, we have made it myself,” he adds.

The Vaulteq is in fact a small home server which can be connected to the router. This is only possible through an Ethernet port, as wireless connections are risks. With the Vaulteq Starter Kit is then possible to store passwords and other documents in the same network. The Premium version is also possible from the outside to access the stored data, such as work or travel. “It is not necessary to open ports for this use,” says Derksen. “It’s all completely automatically using a technique that is now patent pending.” Using the Premium feature costs $ 40 per year, about 36 euros.

Log in on the device goes through two stage authentication and the content is encrypted with AES-256 encryption. Forgetting or losing the master password has therefore mean that it no longer enters the device. However, a two-stage authentication code can be be requested again. The API for access to the safe is open source, as opposed to the software itself. According Derksen takes access to the Premium version completely anonymous, “similar to an old switchboard with calls. Thus, only the identity of the user and will be subsequently forwarded it to the vault. It is possible to make a backup of the Vaulteq and save them on a USB stick or hard drive.

Derksen let us know at this stage to have a lot more ideas. There will in the future also more features and models available. For Vaulteq Derksen and Gerrits want to pick up within a month $ 50,000. Support for iOS and Android is already there; Support for Windows Phone is one of the stretch goals. It should only be commissioned for production, and the devices can be delivered from August.